Trevor Bruttenholm

Infobox comics character
character_name = Trevor Bruttenholm


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publisher = Dark Horse Comics
debut = "" (1994)
creators = Mike Mignola
alter_ego =
full_name = Trevor Bruttenholm
species =
homeworld =
alliances = B.P.R.D.
partners = Tom Manning
supports =
aliases = Professor Trevor Broom
powers =
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subcat =
hero =
villain = Rasputin
sortkey = PAGENAME
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Professor Trevor Bruttenholm is a fictional character in the "Hellboy" comic book universe, created by Mike Mignola and John Byrne. His first appearance was in the comic book "", issue #1 (1994).

Character history

A British academic well-versed in the supernatural, Trevor Bruttenholm (pronounced "Broom") was a member of the British Paranormal Society. He was an advisor to U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt when the Allies realized that the Nazi leader Adolf Hitler was racing to use the occult to turn the tide of World War II. Project Ragna Rok, a plan to use black magic to win the war, was put in place by the supposedly-deceased mystic Rasputin. However, on December 23, 1944 in East Bromwich, England, a youthful demon came into the possession of Bruttenholm, not Rasputin. Rasputin retreated to the Arctic and Bruttenholm named the creature 'Hellboy'.

Bruttenholm and Hellboy developed a very strong emotional bond like that of a father and son, and both joined the U.S. Government's new Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense. The two worked closely together to combat supernatural threats to the world. Bruttenholm eventually retired from the Bureau and returned to field work. His position was taken over by Tom Manning, who is the current Bureau director.

An aged Bruttenholm disappeared in 1992 during the Cavendish expedition to the Arctic circle. Bruttenholm turned up, alive, in 1994 during the "Seed of Destruction" arc. Before he could explain himself to Hellboy, he was murdered by a 'frog monster', the first of thousands of such beasts the Bureau would eventually face. Bruttenholm's death signalled the first contact Hellboy would have with emissaries of the Ogdru Jahad. The man who was ultimately responsible for Bruttenholm's death was a revitalized Rasputin, whom Bruttenholm had encountered in the North. Hellboy stopped Rasputin's plans to free the Ogdru Jahad and saw the mystic burn alive for his crime.

Appearances in film

* Professor Bruttenholm was played by John Hurt in the 2004 "Hellboy" motion picture. Kevin Trainor portrayed him in the opening sequence set sixty years before the main plot. Here their father/son bond is more explicit, with Hellboy often calling Bruttenholm- known to all as 'Broom' for simplicity's sake- "Father", and Broom having dedicated himself to helping Hellboy become a man despite his demonic origins. As the movie begins in the present, Broom discovers that he is dying of cancer, and recruits the young agent John Myers to serve as Hellboy's new 'liason with humanity'. He is killed by Rasputin as part of a plot to lure Hellboy to Rasputin's grave where he can fulfil the purpose he was summoned to Earth for, but even after seeing the destruction Hellboy will cause, Broom simply states that he will always see Hellboy as his son. When Hellboy is about to unlock the gates to Hell, Myers stops him by throwing his crucifix at Hellboy, subsequently reminding him that his father gave him the choice to be a demon or a man, Hellboy subsequently rejecting his destiny. Bruttenholm also made a cameo appearance in the sequel, "", in a 1955 flashback where he tells a young Hellboy the story of the Golden Army. The comic creators have stated that Hurt's portrayal of Bruttenholm was uncannily like the character, with many saying that it is like Hurt posed for them while they were creating Bruttenholm.

* Trevor Bruttenholm also appeared in the straight-to-DVD animated film "". He was voiced by John Hurt, who portrayed him in the film.